Treating



UNITED STATES PATENT orncr.

FnANcIs M. noenn'sANn oLAUnE '1. McNaII or" WRITING, INDIANA, AssIe To STANDARD: oIL ,coxr-ANY, OF WHITI-NG, INDIANA, A CORPORATION or INDIANA,

No Drawing.

To all whom a at; concern:

. Be it known that-we F RANCIS-V M. Roenns and QCLAU'DE I. MoN'EIn, citizens of the United States, residing at: Whiting, in the county of Lake andState of Indiana, have Our invention :relates to an improved treatment of rosin or colophony, meaning;

theresidue obtained .by distilling turpentine and fromwhich the turpentine is thus separated, for the purpose of increasing its grease-setting or saponification properties.

vHeretofore it has been the practice in manufacturing axle grease-and'other similar greases to use cheap petroleum oil set throughthe medium of a limesoap made by saponifying rosin oil with milk of lime. This rosin oil is the distillate obtained by distilling rosin and is known in the art as first-run or kidney oil. The oil obtained after the first-run oil by a continuance of the distillation, known in the art as bloom oil, is also sometimes used. Such rosin oil usually contains a grease-setting acid value of between 40 and 50 per cent; though this value rarely exceeds 45 per cent. This acid content of rosin oil, which is the portion of the latter that combines with the milk of lime to produce the rosin soap for setting the grease, is generally understood to be abietic acid, notwithstanding the fact that the'rosin from which the rosin oil is grease, nor does it have necessary lubricating qualities. Since the only value of rosin oil as a grease set is in its grease-setting acid content of about 45 per cent; it follows that the remaining per cent, or thereabout, of neutral oil in the rosin oil is wasted. It will be noted also that the residuum left after distilling the rosin oil from the rosin is also wasted since it is not used in the grease making process.

As has been stated, rosin, in its natural state, although containing about 90 per cent. of abietic acid, will not properly set grease. Our invention involves the treatment of rosin in order to increase its grease-setting or saponification properties. By our treatment the rosin itself is given a grease-set- TREATING QROS IN.

Specification of Letters'iatent Patented J n 14 1921 I Application filed'Angust 31, 1920. Serial :No. 407,227.

'tin'g acid value of about 70 per cent. It is clear, therefore, that amuch greater amount of grease can be set by a given quantity of roslniby treating it in accordance with our invention, than by using rosinoil distilled from it as has been the practice heretofore.

In the practice of our invention, the rosin, underatmospheric pressure, is heated to a temperature preferably about 500 F. and maintained-at such temperature for about 24 hours. During this digesting it is found that about 2 per cent. of an aqueous distillate and about 2 per cent. of an oil which is essentially turpentine come off. During this heating it is found that there is a loss ofabout-20 per cent,of abieticacid. The

abietic acid does not come off with the disthat after the heating treatment, the rosin may be allowed to cool to about 300 F., or to a temperature at which it will still flow, and then mixed with about an equal volume of petroleum oil. Such a mixture remains viscous or liquid at ordinary temperatures, thus facilitating its handling; and may be used as such in the manufacture of grease, since the petroleum oil supplies one of the necessary ingredients.

In cases where grease is to be made from the rosin, and in other cases where the presence of petroleum oil is required, the rosin may first be mixed with petroleum oil and this mixture may then be treated by digesting as described above. It is obvious also, that in other cases, the rosin need not necessarily be heated alone, but it may first be mixed with other substances the use of which is ultimately desired, and the resulting mixture then heated. I

Although we have described our invention as comprising the heating of rosin at atmospheric pressure to a temperature of about 500 F. for about 24: hours, it is obvious what more or less than 500 F. and the time somewhat longer or shorter. If the temperature is greater the time may be less and vice versa. 'It is obvious also that the heating need not necessarily be at atmospheric pressure. A somewhat higher temperature may be employed if the rosin is kept under pressure greater than atmospheric 1n order to prevent excessive distillation. In general, the temperature, the duration of heat ing, and the pressure under which the rosin is kept should be such as to give the reatest grease-setting properties to the IOSlIl with the least loss by distillation. As stated, we have found that heating the rosin under atmospheric pressure to about 500 F. for about 2 L hours gives it a grease-setting acid content of about 70 per cent. with a loss by distillation of about 4 per cent. of an aqueous distillate and turpentine. j

While we have shown and described cer tain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes therefore in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is our intention to claim allnovelty inherent in our invention as broadly as possible in view of the prior art.

What we claim as new cure by Letters Patent is: r

l. The processv of treating rosin to increase its grease-setting properties which comprises digesting it at a temperature sufficiently high to convert the abietic acid content of the rosin into grease-setting form and which is below the distillation temperature of its abietic acid content corresponding to the pressure of digestion.

2. The process of treating rosin to increase its grease-setting properties which comprises digesting it under atmospheric pressure at a temperature sufli'ciently high to convert the abietic acid content of the rosin into grease-setting form and which is below the. distillation temperature of its abietic acid content.

3. The process of treating rosin toincrease its grease-setting properties which comprises chgesting it at a temperature of about 500 F. for a period of about twentyfour hours.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 25th day of August A. D. 1920.

FRANCIS M. ROGERS. [L.S.] CLAUDE P. MoNEIL. [L.s.]

and desire to se- 

